The advancement of a
Two years had passed since the last time, and Leilin Farell's rank as a Wizard had only increased by a single level. Still, this speed surpassed many of his peers, and it had given Olin a considerable amount of motivation.
"After advancing to Sixth-level Wizard, I gained an additional spell slot, but I still haven't touched deeper layers of the
Leilin looked at his data, a hint of regret in his eyes.
A Wizard's advancement was measured by the layers of the Weave they could touch. Only a Seventh-level Wizard could touch the third layer of the Weave and gain the authority to cast Third-level spells.
A Sixth-level Wizard, compared to a Fifth-level Wizard who had contacted the second layer of the Weave, could likewise only cast Second-level spells. The only difference was that their Spiritual Power was far greater, and they had gained several additional spell slots.
If Leilin could advance one more level and have his Spiritual Power touch the third layer of the Weave, it would represent a considerable boost to his strength. But clearly, there wasn't enough time.
However, when his eyes fell on the question mark behind his Zero-level spell slot, a smile finally bloomed on Leilin's face.
By completely conquering the Zero-level Weave, Leilin was forever freed from the restrictions of Zero-level spell slots, and he had even gained the innate abilities of Spell Casting Without Components and Spell Forgetting Immunity.
Going forward, when casting Zero-level spells, Leilin could draw upon the Weave at will, without needing to prepare spell slots in advance.
This was essentially replacing the rigid spell slot system with his own mana pool. From now on, the only restriction on casting Zero-level spells was his own Spiritual Power.
As long as his Spiritual Power was sufficient, he could cast as many Zero-level spells as he wanted.
"Perhaps I should prepare one fewer First-level or even Second-level spell, and reserve enough Spiritual Power for Zero-level spell casting..."
Leilin mused. The ability to use Zero-level spells on the fly was his greatest trump card this time around.
If those enemies still estimated his strength based on the Wizard standards of the World of the
"For Second-level spells, I'll choose Web, and for First-level spells, I'll memorize Animate Rope and Wizard's Armor! That way, I can save a significant amount of Spiritual Power..."
In this regard, Leilin still had an advantage. Since Wizards had to prepare their spell slots a day in advance, after a night of meditation and rest, his Spiritual Power would recover considerably—possibly even approaching full capacity.
This meant he would effectively gain an additional portion of Spiritual Power out of thin air. Even if it could only be used for Zero-level spells, that was still excellent.
Leilin produced an ancient spell book. Its cover was made from the hide of some animal, with traces of scales still visible upon it. Powerful magical force emanated from within.
This was something Olin had passed on to Leilin—a spell book containing numerous low-level spells, and Olin himself had once been its user.
— Because Wizards possessed the trait of spell forgetting, once they stored their spell slots, their memories of those spells would become completely hazy or even vanish entirely, requiring them to be re-memorized.
Because of this, a spell book recording the spells they had mastered was extremely important.
In many cases, a spell book was one of a Wizard's most valuable possessions.
The spell book in Leilin's hands was a retired one from Olin, but its primary material was the hide of an Earth Lizard Dragon, worth several hundred gold coins.
The pages inside, however, looked noticeably newer, not quite matching the ancient cover.
This was because Olin had deliberately erased his own recorded spells. For a Wizard, transcribing mastered spells into a spell book was an extremely important task that could not be delegated to others.
"Web! And Animate Rope and Wizard's Armor!"
Leilin's fingers flipped through the spell book and quickly found the relevant sections.
When it came to the importance placed on spell books, he was clearly far less attached than other Wizards.
For Leilin, his Chip was an encyclopedic collection of spell books, and the efficiency of transmitting spell models through the Chip to his memory area far surpassed studying from a physical spell book.
In most cases, Leilin only took out the spell book to fool Olin, or to compare this form of spellcasting with Witchcraft in order to perceive the differences in their underlying rules.
His fingers traced over a spell circuit symbol while Leilin immersed himself in analyzing the spell.
"Compared to Witchcraft, spell circuits and nodes are remarkably simple. After all, a Wizard's casting primarily operates through the Weave—their complexity simply cannot be compared. Simply put, a Witchcraft model requires the Witch to construct an entire system using Spiritual Power, while a Spell Model is more like a key..."
With Leilin's extraordinary learning and memory capabilities, recording Spell Models was virtually effortless.
Within mere minutes, the Chip emitted a notification: [Ding! Subject's spell slots recorded and stored: Second-level Spell Slot: Web, First-level Spell Slots: Wizard's Armor, Animate Rope!]
In some intangible way, Leilin felt a portion of his Spiritual Power disappear, and three new nodes appeared upon the Weave. These were the spells he had memorized, ready to be cast tomorrow through specific gestures or incantations.
"Beyond a slight convenience, compared to Witches, Wizards really only have the advantage of a lower barrier to entry..."
Once his Spiritual Power had been fully drained, Leilin immediately realized that the templates of all three spell models—Web, Wizard's Armor, and Animate Rope—had once again vanished completely from his memory.
"Damn it! Greedy gods!"
Leilin cursed inwardly in irritation, though he dared not voice it aloud. This bone-sucking, marrow-draining treatment of Wizards made even him—a Witch—feel furious and indignant.
"Chip! Initiate Spell Model transmission: Web, Wizard's Armor, Animate Rope!"
In a foul mood, Leilin didn't bother relearning from the spell book. Instead, he issued the command directly in his mind.
[Ding! Task established, beginning transmission...]
The Chip faithfully carried out Leilin's command, and soon Leilin found the relevant knowledge of three more Spell Models added to his memory area.
Compared to his previous study, the Chip's speed was incomparably faster.
"This business of having to prepare ammunition in advance while enduring exploitation... I'm afraid it's going to continue for quite a long time..."
Leilin's expression soured, but he quickly composed himself.
"Spell slots are prepared. It's time to begin the counterattack. But before that, I need to deal with the trouble from the Knowledge God's side..."
After taking stock of his available strength, Leilin began calculating other matters.
"Bishop Tabris has likely obtained some intelligence, but saying he intends to destroy our Farell Family is probably an overstatement. After all, our family are still followers of the Knowledge God, and replacing us with another noble house wouldn't necessarily yield better results. However, the intent to pressure us is quite obvious...
Numerous possibilities and even potential emergencies flashed before Leilin's eyes one by one. The future was gradually being peeled apart, layer by layer, slowly revealing itself before him.
The dim yellow lamplight cast Leilin's shadow, long and stretching far behind him...
Before long, the Festival Day of the Knowledge God's Church arrived. Leilin dressed in a proper set of formal attire, with a sleeveless leather cuirass underneath. Two scrolls were safely stored within—not because the Farell Family lacked better metal armor in their stores, but because for a Wizard, metal often interfered with the flow of magical particles, causing spellcasting to fail. Unless one could obtain precious mithril or even adamantine, Wizards would not carry any metal objects on their person.
"Good morning, Cousin Isabelle!" At the estate's entrance, Leilin was surprised to see a familiar figure.
"Good morning, Cousin Leilin!" Isabelle was still wearing her fitted leather armor, which, combined with her perfect figure, gave off an aura that was both attractive and dangerous.
In fact, since their last meeting, Isabelle had been hiding away in her room, growing increasingly reclusive. Aside from a few dinners, this was the first time Leilin had encountered this cousin of his.
"Are you heading to the Knowledge God's Temple at the port?"
Isabelle leaned half against the door frame, her black scabbard resting directly on the ground. "Things are rather dangerous outside right now. I want to go with you!"
"Now that's the strong-willed cousin I remember!" Only in moments like this did Leilin feel that his childhood playmate had returned.
"But!"
Leilin took a slight step forward, causing Isabelle to instinctively grip her sword hilt.
"I can handle this sort of thing on my own!" Looking at his cousin—who was bristling like a hedgehog while struggling to suppress the urge to draw her blade—Leilin found it hard not to laugh.
Though he wanted to press closer and apply even more pressure, now was clearly not the time.
"Let's go!"
Leilin hopped directly into the carriage. At the reins was none other than the Sixth-level Warrior Jacob. With the man's practiced calls and the crack of his whip, the carriage bearing the Farell family crest slowly made its way onto the road.
"You—!" Behind him, Isabelle stamped her foot in frustration, a faint blush appearing on her face.
"Even though my cousin has become rather standoffish, she's still the same warm-hearted person underneath that cold exterior... Good..."
In the carriage, Leilin smiled.
"However, it seems she's dealing with some considerable trouble of her own. Especially that aura of sinister energy—if it isn't dealt with, I'm afraid..."